The other thing I want to point out here which I wish I understood in my early 20s is that cash you invest when you are young grows. long-term long-bets of th

The other thing I want to point out here which I wish I understood in my early 20s is that cash you invest when you are young grows. long-term long-bets of the type your mom would recommend (whole market index funds, real-estate, etc...) really require time to work, so socking money away when you are young makes a big difference. I've got friends who earn about what I do who are about my age who, many years, earn as much at this point from income on their capital as they do from their regular job. I would be in that position too, if I had spent my money working for a big company and socking cash away, rather than spending my '20s running a business. I'd make more money working for other people, too. Having a company with a good brand on your resume means a hell of a lot more than running a lifestyle company, even if that company succeeded as a lifestyle company.